This is pretty much the greatest thing any sports journalist has ever heard.

But, to tell ‘ya the truth, Dolphins players said they found it refreshing. They said it set a tone of accountability and sense of responsibility to one self and teammates. There was a new culture established by first-year head coach Adam Gase in 2016, but also coordinators like Joseph and Clyde Christensen, encouraged to share the same “truths” in private and public.

It seems safe to bet Joseph’s successor, Matt Burke, will subscribe to the theory, too.

Needless to say, the Miami Dolphins press corps will miss Joseph and wish him nothing but the best in Denver. It seemed like a fun idea to look back at 10 times this season when Joseph minced no words.

“I think most players want the truth,” Joseph said.

Hallelujah.

On defensive end Mario Williams (10/13/16): “He’s got to play better. He’s got to play harder. He’s got to play better. Obviously he’s being allowed to rush the passer, but the games that we’ve been in, they have been more run-first, pass-second games. For us to be a great rush team, we have to earn the right and stop the run. All of us – Mario, (Ndamukong) Suh, Jordan (Phillips), all of those guys up front. If they want to rush more, stop the run more consistently. So I think Mario has to play better. He has to play faster and more consistent.” (WHAT HAPPENED: Williams didn’t play better. He was benched. And isn’t expected back.)

On cornerback Byron Maxwell (10/13/16): “He has not played overall well. He’s a guy that is here every day. He’s working hard, he studies, he watches film. It has not come together for him. That happens to players – a different scheme, a different place to play. So I’m not totally down on Byron. He’s working at it every day. He wants to be good and when a guy is working at it every day, it’s going to turn for him.” (WHAT HAPPENED: All fired up and motivated by a benching, Maxwell turned around his season and played quite well overall.)

On linebacker Jelani Jenkins (11/23/16): “Maybe a certain role for Jelani fits him better. But right now, he’s our starting dime ‘backer, so he has got to stay healthy. If not, we’ve got guys behind him who are going to play. He understands that. Part of being healthy is a skill set for players, in my opinion. Some guys stay healthy, some guys don’t. So he’s got to acquire that skillset quickly… A different role, maybe playing less, maybe being a dime ‘backer full time, not being a starting base ‘backer. We’ll figure it out.” (WHAT HAPPENED: Jenkins tried to get healthy, but just may not be a great fit for the future.)

On cornerback Chris Culliver (11/23/16): “Chris Culliver was brought in here to help us at the corner spot, obviously. Chris had two major knee injuries. He worked hard – that wasn’t an issue – but he never got back to himself. He was never – in my opinion – full-speed. He needs more time. He needs more time to go home and rehab and train and to get himself healthy.” (WHAT HAPPENED: Culliver felt he was ready to play. But most all observers didn’t. So the team let him go.)

On who other than Ndamukong Suh has stopped the run (10/12/16): “I would say this, out of our front four, no one has. There have been weeks where we have done well, but each week it has been one guy here and there. To be stout in the running game, it has to be consistent across the board. It has to be the front four, linebackers and secondary fitting the run. It can’t be one guy busting the gap here, one guy missing a tackle there.” (WHAT HAPPENED: The Dolphins finished 29th in the NFL against the run. The concerns continue.)

On cornerback Tony Lippett (12/14/16): “It’s experience with ‘Lipp’ (Tony Lippett). ‘Lipp’ was a college wide receiver, so he’s played corner about two years of his life – so more experience obviously. He’s a tall corner, so controlling his body is a major issue; but as far as the kid’s work ethic and his engagement every day, he’s fine. He’s got great ball skills because he’s an ex-receiver, but more experience than anything.” (WHAT HAPPENED: By the end of the season, Joseph was saying Lippett had made the greatest individual progress of 2016.)

On defensive end Cameron Wake (11/23/16): “Cam was off of an injury that we thought was going to slow him down early, but obviously, it hadn’t, so I was wrong there. I still feel good about Cam starting slow, because where he is now, he’s healthy, he’s playing well.” (WHAT HAPPENED: Yes, Wake was able to play more snaps than anybody thought. Yes, increasing his snaps after four weeks was the right move. But it seems limiting Wake’s snaps early in the season, in part at the advice of the teams’ sports performance staff, was also a good one.)

On cornerback Bene Benwikere (12/7/16): “Well, he needs to show us that he’s ready to play. That’s from practice, because he won’t play in a game because he’s on the practice squad. So in practices, he’s got to show us he’s ready to play.” (WHAT HAPPENED: Benwikere never did play for the Dolphins.)

On defensive end Andre Branch (11/9/16): “I think Andre Branch is a talented guy. He was when we signed him. He’s been a guy over the years that hadn’t been consistent. Now he’s being more consistent. He’s playing with a tougher attitude. He’s not avoiding contact up the field. He’s working with the tackles. He’s playing the run game well. He’s in a contract year. He wants a long-term deal somewhere, so I don’t blame him. You play well and you get your long-term security. He’s a guy that’s a top-round pick. He should be a good player because he’s talented enough.” (WHAT HAPPENED: A motivated Branch had a career season opposite Wake. But one wonders if the Dolphins saw enough to lock him up to a player-satisfactory, long-term deal before his unrestricted free agency.)

On defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (1/5/17): “Jordan played really well last week, first of all. Jordan is a player that, if you can take his explosive or flash plays, you can make a tape and it’s special. But you can take his bad plays also and make a lowlight tape. So he’s a young player that’s inconsistent. He’s obviously a big man with talent. If he’s on and doing it right, he can be a special help to us this weekend; but he’s got to put the bad plays to rest.” (WHAT HAPPENED: Joseph often defended Phillips against criticism. But when Phillips surged at the end of the season, Joseph noted that the youngster must still strive for consistency.)

[…] as former Dolphins defensive coordinator (and current Denver Broncos coach Vance Joseph) told me near the end of last season: “Jordan is a player that, if you can take his explosive or flash plays, you can make a tape […]